BUFFALO — The Rangers’ hope is that J.T. Miller isn’t taking this personally.

The 22-year-old winger was demoted to the fourth line and played just one shift in the third period of Sunday’s 6-4 loss to the Islanders at the Garden. Miller was just named as one of the first 16 players chosen for the North American team of 23-year-olds and younger for September’s World Cup of Hockey, and has been one of the Rangers’ most consistent and hardest-working forwards all season.

But down by a goal, coach Alain Vigneault decided to staple Miller to the bench as a result of a few previous indiscretions with puck management and defensive assignments.

“I think in an 82-game schedule, you’re going to have the odd game here or there that’s going to be more challenging,” Vigneault said after Monday’s practice, preparing for Tuesday night’s game against the Sabres at First Niagara Center. “J.T. has been a real good player for us and I’m sure he’s going to play a good game for us [Tuesday].”

Vigneault had Miller on that fourth line with Dominic Moore and Tanner Glass again for Monday’s practice, but he added, “I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on what we saw with the lines, except I’m not going to break up the Eric Staal line [with Oscar Lindberg and Viktor Stalberg].” As a hockey player, now and then you have to have a short memory, turn the page and get ready for the next game.”

Asked if he thought Miller was frustrated with his short leash for mistakes, Vigneault rebuked the idea.

“It might seem to him that he has a short leash — it might seem to you that he does,” Vigneault said. “It’s not. It’s not any shorter or longer.”

Marc Staal (back) and Dylan McIlrath (knee) were set to miss Tuesday’s game, and Vigneault declared both of them “day-to-day.”

Then with only five healthy defensemen on the roster, the team called up Brady Skjei from AHL Hartford to immediately be put into the lineup. Skjei is a 21-year-old lefty who has played three games this season in two different stints, the most recent on Feb. 23 against the Devils in Newark.

Staal had his back lock up on him a couple times in the past two weeks, keeping him out of Sunday’s game as well as that one against the Devils on Feb. 23. McIlrath was hurt when Islanders’ agitator Cal Clutterbuck slammed him into the boards on Sunday, and the team said they didn’t think it was anything serious.

Regular backup goalie Antti Raanta was set to start his third game in a row with starter Henrik Lundqvist still sidelined because of neck spasms. Raanta played well in the team’s 3-2 win over the league-leading Capitals on Friday in Washington, but was not as sharp in the Sunday’s loss at the Garden.

“Tough losses you always want to go back there and get going again,” said Raanta, who gave up five goals on 31 shots against the Isles. “There was still lots of good things [Sunday], but when you give up four or five goals, you can never be too satisfied with that. So it’s a good chance tomorrow to bounce back.”